Artificial silk thread making apparatus



Jan. 5, 1932. w, Ess 1,839,212

ARTIFICIAL SILK THREAD MAKING APPARATUS Filed Jan. 7, 1928 2 Sfieets-Sheet 1 AT TORNEY Jan. 5, 1932.,

W. ,H. FURNESS ARTIFICIAL SILK THREAD MAKING APPARATUS Filed Jan. 7; 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 7%. M ,z m

ATTORNEY connection with spindles of the cap twisting Patented Jan. 5, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WILLIAM H. FURNESS, OF NATIONAL PARK, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR T0 FUBJTESS CORPORATION, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF NE? JERSEY ARTIFICIAL SILK THREAD MAKING- APPARATUS Application filed January 7, 1928. Serial No. 245,252.

This invention relates to artificial silk thread making apparatus, and while ca able of other applications, it is especially use 111 in type, such as shown, for example, in my copending application Serial No. 239,402, filed December 12, 1927.

One of the primary objects'of the invention is to simplify the spindle drive not only for the purpose of reducing the cost of manufacture and the amount of plant investment, but also to reduce the power requirements.

Another object of the'invention is to provide an effective electrical drive for the spindles by virtueof which the spools may be dofi'ed without interrupting the formation of the, thread, while, at the same time, the apparatus is relieved of shock and there is no liability of injury to the thread.

Another ob]ect of the inventionis to provide a multiple speed electric motor drive operating at constant B. P. M. at the selected speeds, irrespective of variations in the load. How the foregoing, together with such I other objects as may hereinafter appear, or

are incident to my invention, are realized. is illustrated in preferred form in the accom panying drawings, wherein- Fig. 1 is a plan view of a number of spindles of a battery.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of a spindle, and

Figs. 3 and 4 illustrate details of the invention,

Referring now to Figs. 1 and 2,.the reference character A denotes a'spindle.. For the purposes of this specification, a spindle is a unit which comprises, in general, the extrusion pump, the precipitating bath and the means for twisting and laying up the thread.

In the particular spindle shown the spinneret is illustrated at 7, the bath at 10, the source of supply of cellulose or other solution at 8,

and the extrusion pump at 9. In the spindle,

the drawing mechanism is composed of two wheels 11 and 12 which serve to draw the formed thread out of the bath and feed it to the thread twisting and laying up means which, in this case, is of the cap twister type, wherein the revolving cap 14 twists and lays the thread upon the revolving spool 16. It

will be understood that the cap and the spool are each detachably mounted on a revolving shaft or spindle, vertical movement being imparted to the spool. One spindle is within the other. s

The reference numeral17 denotes a motor which drives through appropriate intervening instrumentalities, the extrusion pump, drawing mechanism, the spool and the cap. The specific details of these intervening instrumentalities constitute no part of the present invention.

Each spindle preferably has two operating speeds, a regular running speed which is relatively high, and a slow speed to permit of starting of the thread on a new spool and the dofling of a filled spool without interrupting the formation of the thread. The spindle should operate at constant R. P. M. at the respective speeds, irrespective of load.

I, therefore, preferably employ a three phase alternating motor adapted to be connected by a suitable double throw switch 18 to either of two sources of supply of current of different cycle, as, for example, a 60 cycle current and a 15 cycle current. In starting up aspindle, the 15 cycle current is used and the motor operates at about one quarter of the normal running speed. As the filaments are forced through the spinneret into the bath by the pump and solidified, the thread is led over the two drawing wheels and started upon the spool. Thereupon the switch is thrown to supply 60 cycle current and the speed of rotation of the parts gradually increases as their inertia is overcome until regular running speed is attained,

whereupon that s eed is maintained uniform- 1y, irrespective o variations in load, which is of great importance in securing a uniform product. The transition from slow to high speed is sufliciently gradual to prevent injury to the thread.

When the spool is filled the operator throws the switch to supply 15 cycle current, whereupon the speedof the motor immediately drops to slow speed. In the absence of provision to the contrary, the motor would, thereforejact as a brake which would immediately slow down the revolving parts to the slow speed which would result in shock to the machine and damage to the thread. To prevent this I provide an over-running clutch 19 between the motor shaft and the main driven shaft from which all of the parts are in turn driven. This over-running clutch may be of any preferred type and consists of one way drive mechanism permitting the main driven shaft to overrun which al-' lows the rotating arts of the machine to gradually change om high speed to low speed. When the speed of the rotating parts drops down to the speed of the motor when it is on the 15 cycle current, the motor again drives the parts at constant speed.

At this low speed the thread may be broken and allowed to accumulate on the plate 19 which is swung into the line of movement of the thread, the cap may be removed, the spool dofled, a new spool put. in place, and the thread started thereon, after which the operation is as before described, it being understood, of course, that the plate 19' is swung out of the way when the thread is to be started on the new spool. Because of the slow speed there is not much wastage of thread.

One form of over-running clutch is shown in Figs. 3 and 4:. This clutch'comprises the cup 20 on the main driven shaft 21 and the cam-shaped head 22 on the motor shaft 23. Rollers 24 are positioned between the cup and the cam head and provide a one way drive.

By virtue of the foregoing, any one or more of the spindles may becut out entirely without affecting running conditions, or any one or more may be run at slow speed with out affecting the operation of the remaining spindles. Uniformity of product of each spindle and of all of the spindles is thus secured.

The driving mechanism is very simple and inexpensive and the maintenance charges are low as compared with the driving mechanism ordinarily employed. The apparatus is also much more compact and uses much less power.

The s ific type of spindle shown is only illustrative and the motor drive is capable of a variety of applications and is especially useful where multi revolutions speed, irrespective of load, with gradual transition from one speed to another, are

le speeds with constant needed to meet peculiar operating conditions,

as herein pointed out.

I claim-z- 1. In artificial silk making apparatus the combination of an extrusion pump, a spool, means for driving the pump and spool in synchronism including a variable speed 2. In artificial silk making apparatus the combination of an extrusion pump, drawing mechanism, means for driving the pump and drawing mechanism in synchronism including a variable speed motor and an overrunning clutch associated therewith to insure a relatively gradual decrease in speed of the synchronized pump and drawing mechanism when the motor speed is reduced. 3. In artificial silk thread making apparatus, the combination of a plurality of operating elements driven in synchronism and arranged to operate successively durin the thread manufacture, driving means t ereper minute for the particular motor and an over-running clutch associated therewlth to insure a relatively gradual decrease in speed of the synchronized pump and spool when the motor speed isredu'ced. 

